Hey Howdy hey!
It's another wonderful Monday! I am loving here more and more! The weather has been so nice that last couple of days. Today we are in the mid 70's!
We have had a really awesome week this past week! We will have another awesome week this coming week too!! We have 2 baptisms coming up!! Kris and Brandy Arheart are getting baptized on November 10th!! We are so excited for them! But we do feel the powers of Satan working on all of us... The week of a baptism is always the hardest weeks.. but I know that everything will work out as it should and I know that Kris and Brandy are truly ready for this commitment/covenant that they will be making with the Lord.
Monday was a really great day! We went to the Joseph Standing monument here in Dalton.. Joseph was a missionary in the 1800's here but it was called the "southern states mission." He was killed by a mob.. pretty crazy huh? Then we went to the Scrivers for dinner! We had so much fun! Sister Miner and I dressed up as Elders! You probably have seen the pictures on facebook..? It was really fun! We love the Scrivers so much! They are such a huge blessing to us!
Tuesday we met up with Brandy and Kris.. but they had an emergency come up so they had to leave.. we were on a team up with Keyaundra, a recent convert, so we decided to teach her instead! haha. It was actually KeyKey's Birthday so we went to lunch with her and her mom and her granny! It was so much fun! They might be the coolest black ladies in the whole world! LOVE THEM!
Wednesday we took Brandy and Kris "on top of a high mountain" and had a lesson.. well actually they took us, but still... it was a really good time and I know that this was needed. Sister Miner was able to share some experiences with Brandy that really helped her overcome some struggles that she has had. The view was beautiful on top of the mountain. We could see all of Chatsworth and the surrounding areas and it made me realize how much God trusts us.. we really were overlooking our "vineyard" here. It was a really overwhelming feeling to see this whole area that we are responsible for...
Thursday we got this awesome text from Brandy! She said that she had been laying bed the night before tossing and turning for an hour.. she had this feeling like she needed to get up and read from the Book of Mormon.. she said she didn't know why.. but after fighting it for an hour she couldn't take it anymore and she finally gave in. She said she ended up reading for hours and she found her answer in the Book of Mormon! She was reading in Alma 32 and she said that there were verses that spoke to her. She knew then that she wants to be baptized! And ever since that, she has just been growing and growing so much!! We just love her!
Friday we went and saw Brandy and Kris and then we were able to go meet her mom as well. We were able to share a copy of the Book of Mormon with her and we are going back to meet with her on Wednesday! Friday night we had dinner at a less active family's home! They are so awesome! They have 2 boys that are the biggest little gentlemen that I have ever met! I love them so much! We had a really wonderful dinner and then we had a really great lesson with them! I know that they are yet another family that Sister Miner and I were sent here for! It's amazing to me to meet all of these people that I have been sent here for! Sometimes it's overwhelming how much God trusts me.. AH! Scary thought huh?!
Saturday was awesome! We had Stake Conference up in Ooltewah and Brandy and Kris came to the Saturday night session. We had Elder Bowen of the 70 and Elder Munns of the 70 come because we got a new stake President! I was so sad to see President Youngblood go.. but I know that he is needed elsewhere and that he was an awesome Stake Pres. (He is from Signal Mountain. Sister Shumway and I ate dinner at their house on Easter) Our new Stake Pres. is Pres. Griffey. he was in the Mission presidency with President Griffen. He is really awesome and SUPER missionary minded. He said that the goal in the Stake is for every unit to baptize every week! WOW!!!!!!
Elder Bowen did something really cool Saturday night.. he had a question and answer session and one of the questions was about missionary work. He had all of us full time missionaries stand up. (there were only about 6 of us there, including the mission President and his wife.) He asked us how long we were out for.. 18, 24, 36 months etc. then he had everyone who had lived in this area for more than 36 months raise their hand. He talked about who the real "full time" missionaries in this area are.. then he had all of the real full time missionaries stand up.. everyone but us 6 stood and the spirit was so strong! I really had never thought of it like that before.. that we, as full time missionaries, are really only temporary missionaries and that everyone else is the real full time missionaries! I loved it. i know that several people's hearts were touched! Such a cool experience!
Sunday was amazing too! We went to Stake Conf. with the Blacks. (christopher and his parents) Christopher went to church for the first time in a really long time!!! And what's even better is that he liked it! He even had a one on one conversation with Elder Bowen, who re-affirmed that Christopher needs to go on a mission! I got to meet Elder Bowen as well and he was so kind! I loved it so much! I wish that I could tell you all that I learned and all that I felt.. I will have to do that once I get home because I just simply don't have enought time for that.. but it was so spiritual!!
The biggest thing that I felt was a sense of belonging here in the south.. I can't even begin to describe to you how much I love it here. This is my home. My heart is sealed to this area and the people here! I was able to see Sister Wyman(dayton) Mom and dad Montgomery(Dayton) Mom and Dad Curtis(dayton) Adam and Allison siegel(Signal Mountain) the Wolfes(signal Mountain) and it truly felt like one big family reunion! I don't know how I am going to go "home" in 4 months, when in reality I will be leaving home.. I am going to miss everyone here so much.. and the thought of leaving almost breaks my heart. I am just grateful that it's not over yet! There are still many people here waiting for me to find them and help them come home!
I love this work! I love this gospel and I love my Savior! I am so thankful for His love for me and for His never ending support! I love you all so much and I pray for you that you too will feel this amazing spirit that comes into your heart as you share what you know with those that you love!
Have a wonderful week and I will talk to you in 47 days! but who's counting? haha! Love ya!
Sister C
